Asean Sec-Gen Describes Foreign Ministers Retreat A Success

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat which ended here Wednesday, was a success as it helped identify the vision and future of the regional grouping under Malaysia's chairmanship this year, says ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh. He said the two-day retreat had managed to discuss important issues and all ministers had agreed to focus on the eight priorities outlined by Malaysia. “The achievement of ASEAN, under Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN this year is very important, not only for the process of building the ASEAN Community but also for the continued integration process for ASEAN beyond 2015. "This retreat has been a success in determining the priorities of work we (ASEAN) are going to do, deliver, and going to achieve this year under Malaysia's chairmanship," he told reporters at the end of the retreat here Wednesday. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman led the Malaysian delegation at the retreat, held at Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort here. All ASEAN foreign ministers attended the retreat, namely Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna (Brunei Darussalam), Hor Namhong (Cambodia), Retno L. P. Marsudi (Indonesia), Dr Thongloun Sisoulith (Laos), U Wunna Maung Lwin (Myanmar), Albert F del Rosario (Philippines), K. Shanmugam (Singapore), Tanasak Patimapragorn (Thailand) and Pham Binh Minh (Vietnam). Le said among the issues agreed upon was that ASEAN would strive for the implementation of the roadmap for the ASEAN Community, namely the implementation of the measures and action lines contained in the three community blueprints - Political-Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint. "This is as well as the measures contained in the multiplan for ASEAN connectivity and the initiatives for ASEAN integration," he added. The ministers also supported Malaysia's proposal to focus on development of the ASEAN Post-2015 Vision as it needed to be finalised before being submitted and endorsed by the leaders at the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, he noted. Le also said the ministers agreed to make "people centred" as the central theme for every ASEAN effort and work programme this year. "Afterall, the community is not just about the measures that we have implemented or the measures we are going to implement but more about the benefits that the ASEAN Community can bring about to the people," he noted. He said the ministers also agreed that efforts should be focused on the development and strengthening of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as it was the backbone to the region's economy. "They supported the idea of organising a special conference or special meeting of ASEAN entrepreneurs to this effect. The suggested date is September," he added. Meanwhile, to promote intra-trade and investment in ASEAN, the ministers also discussed the idea of a common time zone for the region and would come up with a proposal on the matter soon, he said. Le said during the meeting, ministers also discussed the potential future dialogue partners, besides the promotion of peace and stability in the region on the basis of moderation. The foreign ministers' retreat is the first in a series of ASEAN meetings under Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN this year. Malaysia assumed the ASEAN chairmanship on Jan 1, after taking over from Myanmar. ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations), established in 1967 groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- BERNAMA